Global podcast revenue rises to $9.2B as growth concentrates among the biggest shows
Global podcast revenue rose to $9.2 billion, Podnews reported. The update noted that growth is not flowing evenly across the market, with the biggest shows getting larger while the middle stays pressured. Podcast buying is also getting more programmatic, with Sounder.ai expanding availability inside The Trade Desk. Apple Podcasts added new HLS video partners, including Firstory, Audioboom, RedCircle, and Blubrry. The week shows audio moving toward more video distribution, better ad targeting, and more concentration at the top.
THE BREAKDOWN
Mid-tier podcasters should not rely on market growth alone to raise CPMs. Agents need to package video clips, newsletter inventory, live shows, and host-read ads together to avoid being priced as commodity audio. Brand managers should ask for audience quality and show-level fit, not only network reach. If programmatic audio keeps expanding, premium host reads need stronger proof of lift to defend their rates. Podcasters should lock ownership of video rights before platforms make video a default part of podcast distribution.
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